Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30777058›Full record

ArticleBMC medical ethics2019

Truth-telling and doctor-assisted death as perceived by Israeli physicians.

Baruch Velan, Arnona Ziv, Giora Kaplan, Carmit Rubin, Yaron Connelly, Tami Karni, Orna Tal

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC medical ethics, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Baruch VelanTheGertner Institute for Epidemiology and Health Policy Research, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan, Israel. baruch_v@yahoo.com.ORCID 0000-0002-2725-3249
Arnona ZivTheGertner Institute for Epidemiology and Health Policy Research, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan, Israel.
Giora KaplanTheGertner Institute for Epidemiology and Health Policy Research, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan, Israel.
Carmit RubinTheGertner Institute for Epidemiology and Health Policy Research, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan, Israel.
Yaron ConnellyIsraeli Center for Emerging Technologies, Shamir Medical Center (Assaf Harofeh), Zerifin, Israel.
Tami KarniComprehensive Breast Care Institute, Shamir Medical Center (Assaf Harofeh), Zerifin, Israel.
Orna TalIsraeli Center for Emerging Technologies, Shamir Medical Center (Assaf Harofeh), Zerifin, Israel.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMedicine has undergone substantial changes in the way medical dilemmas are being dealt with. Here we explore the attitude of Israeli physicians to two debatable dilemmas: disclosing the full truth to patients about a poor medical prognosis, and assisting terminally ill patients in ending their lives.

methodsAttitudes towards medico-ethical dilemmas were examined through a nationwide online survey conducted among members of the Israeli Medical Association, yielding 2926 responses.

resultsClose to 60% of the respondents supported doctor-assisted death, while one third rejected it. Half of the respondents opposed disclosure of the full truth about a poor medical prognosis, and the others supported it. Support for truth-telling was higher among younger physicians, and support for doctor-assisted death was higher among females and among physicians practicing in hospitals. One quarter of respondents supported both truth-telling and assisted death, thereby exhibiting respect for patients' autonomy. This approach characterizes younger doctors and is less frequent among general practitioners. Another quarter of the respondents rejected truth-telling, yet supported assisted death, thereby manifesting compassionate pragmatism. This was associated with medical education, being more frequent among doctors educated in Israel, than those educated abroad. All this suggests that both personal attributes and professional experience affect attitudes of physicians to ethical questions.

conclusionsExamination of attitudes to two debatable medical dilemmas allowed portrayal of the multi-faceted medico-ethical scene in Israel. Moreover, this study, demonstrates that one can probe the ethical atmosphere of a given medical community, at various time points by using a few carefully selected questions.

Indexed as

Suicide, AssistedTerminally IllAdultAdvance Care PlanningAttitude of Health PersonnelEmpathyEthics, MedicalFemaleHealth Care SurveysHumansIsraelMaleMiddle AgedPaternalismPatient PreferencePatient RightsAutonomyDisclosureDoctor-assisted-deathEnd-of-lifeEthical educationTruth-telling

Identifiers

PMID30777058
PMCPMC6380017

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.